Gate valve

ABSTRACT

A ported body with an extension providing a way has a separately fabricated nylon facing mounted on the way. A slide having a flange interlocking it with the way is reciprocable along the way and carries a metal valve member with a facing complementary to that of the valve body and adapted, on reciprocation of the slide, to open and close the port of the valve body and its facing. A spring mounted on the slide biases the valve toward the way as the slide and valve are reciprocated by a link connected with a handle which is urged by a spring on the body toward a position in which the valve is closed.

United States Patent Primary ExaminerHarold W. Weakley Attorney-Wheeler, Wheeler, House & Clemency ABSTRACT: A ported body with an extension providing a way has a separately'fabricated nylon facing mounted on the way. A slide having a flange interlocking it with the way is reciprocable along the way and carries a metal valve member with a facing complementary to that of the valve body and adapted, on reciprocation of the slide, to open and close the port of the valve body and its facing. A spring mounted on the slide biases the valve toward the way as the slide and valve are reciprocated by a link connected with a handle which is urged by a spring on the body toward a position in which the valve is closed.

GATE VAL'VE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Most slide valves operate on an arc. Since they are generally exposed to grit and are therefore inevitably subject to considerable wear in use, their life is frequently short. The features of the invention as hereinafter summarized provide a slide valve which is easily operable and is self-closing and has long life due to the novel construction and the resulting facility with which parts subject to wear can be replaced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The valve body has a pocket in which a compression spring is disposed to bias the handle lever toward a valve-closing position. The side of the pocket is notched to receive an end portion of a handle lever engaged by the compression spring. A link connects the handle lever with a slide mounted for rectilinear reciprocation on a way provided by an extruded faceplate on the body. Replaceable plastic facing elements are interlocked with the way and the valve coacting therewith.

The slide has a socket for a compression spring seated against a cap threaded into the end of the socket. This spring urges to a seat on the face of the way a valve member mounted within the slide and having a readily replaceable molded plastic facing element engaging the replaceable facing element of the body.

The result is a valve which is easily operable, inexpensive to make, and has long life due to the facility with which parts subject to wear or breakage can be replaced. These parts include the molded plastic facing elements respectively interlockingly connected with the valve body and with the slide valve. Even the springs are readily replaceable if breakage occurs. Thus, the few parts which are of a permanent nature will last indefinitely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in section showing a valve embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the valve as viewed on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of the valve body in side elevation.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the valve body as viewed on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the prefabricated bearing facing element which is interlocked with the body.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the slide valve and its facing member shown in spaced relation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The valve body 20, which may be a casting or die casting, is integrally provided with a broad faceplate 22 ported at 24 and having an upward extension 26. Plate 22 may be forwardly inclined. It has bracing webs 28 and 30 connecting it with the sides of the body 20. The faceplate, thus laterally and upwardly extended, provides a way upon which a valve 66 reciprocates.

Also projecting upwardly from the body is an integral spring housing 32 for the valve-closing compression spring 34. Webs 36 and 38 integrally connect the spring housing 32 with the upward extension 26 of the faceplate 22. The space between webs 36 and 38 is spanned by a pintle 40 for the valve-operating lever 42, the end of which projects through a notch 44 in the spring housing and has a head portion 46 in engagement with the end of the compression spring 34. The end of handle 42 may optionally comprise a separately fabricated grip 48.

The handle is connected by a link 50 to a slide 52 which is reciprocable along the way provided by faceplate 22. The slide 52 has flanges 54 and 56 marginally engaged behind the edges 58 and 60 of the faceplate and its facing element 76 as best shown in FIG. 2. Pintles 62 and 64 connect the link 50 with the lever 42 and slide 52, respectively.

The slide actuates valve 66 for controlling flow through the port 24 with which the valve body 20 is provided. Movement of the slide is transmitted to the valve 68 by means of a tubular boss 68 projecting from the valve 60 outwardly into a tubular spring housing 70 with which the slide is provided. A cap 72 threaded into the housing 70 as a detachable part thereof provides a seat for a compression spring 74 which, at its inner end, is seated in the tubular boss 68 to bias the valve 66 toward the faceplate 22 of the housing.

Preferably both the faceplate and the valve are provided with facing elements which not only reduce friction but are readily replaceable if abraded or otherwise damaged. These may be made of any appropriate materials but are preferably molded of plastic such as nylon or Teflon.

The facing element 76 for the plate 22 is illustrated separately in FIG. 5. It has a port 75 which registers with the valve port 24 and it has side flanges 78 in engagement with the side margins of plate 22 and enclosed within the side flanges of slide 52. Facing element 76 also has an end margin 80 for engagement with the lower end of the plate 22. At its upper end it is bifurcated by a slot 82 which registers with slot 84 through which the lever 42 extends. At each side of slot 82 the element 76 has flanges 86 which are engaged with the top end of the faceplate extension 26 as best shown in FIG. 1.

It will be evident that the separately prefabricated facing element for the way is readily applicable to the plate 22 and its extension 26 and can readily be removed and replaced as needed.

The facing element 90 and the valve 66 are illustrated in mutually spaced positions in FIG. 6. About all four sides of the facing extends a flange 92 engaged marginally with the valve member 66. At several point the valve is provided with openings 94 into which project studs 96 of the facing element. These may be (but are not necessarily) tubular. The resulting interlock constrains the facing member 90 to move with the valve across the surface of the complementary facing member 76 of the ported valve plate 26.

In use, valves of the construction disclosed have proved very desirable because of their simplicity and inexpensiveness and long life. Operation is very easy.

The valve readily closed itself under the bias of spring 34 when the operating handle grip 48 is released. It will be noted that the low-friction material of side flanges 78 of the facing element 76 not only facilitate movement of the valve itself but also facilitate movement of the valve slide since the flanges intervene between the margins 58 of the faceplate and the margins 54 and 56 of the slide.

Because the facing elements are very readily interchangeable, any damage resulting from grit in the fluid controlled by the valve can immediately be remedied without replacement of any large or expensive valve part. The facing elements, in contact with each other, also provide an excellent seal under the bias of the spring 74 which holds the valve seated.

Iclaim:

l. A slide valve comprising a body having a delivery port and a faceplate with margins constituting a way, a slide reciprocable along the way and having flanges engaged behind the margins, a valve member connected with the slide for movement therewith along the way and interposed between the slide and said plate and adapted in the course of its reciprocation to open and close the port of said body, and spring means provided with a seat on the slide and on the valve member for urging said valve member toward said plate, said valve body being provided with a spring housing and with webs integrally connecting said housing and said plate, a pintle mounted on said webs, a lever pivoted on the pintle and disposed between said webs, a spring in the housing having an end portion of said lever biased outwardly by said spring, and means connecting the lever with the slide for reciprocation of the slide and valve along the way.

2. A slide valve according to claim 1 in which said plate has a slot through which said lever extends and the means connecting the lever with the slide comprises linkage pivoted to the lever and the slide.

a detachable facing element having a marginal flange embracing the valve and having studs extending into apertures with which the valve is provided, whereby to constrain the facing element to move with the valvev 

1. A slide valve comprising a body having a delivery port and a faceplate with margins constituting a way, a slide reciprocable along the way and having flanges engaged behind the margins, a valve member connected with the slide for movement therewith along the way and interposed between the slide and said plate and adapted in the course of its reciprocation to open and close the port of said body, and spring means provided with a seat on the slide and on the valve member for urging said valve member toward said plate, said valve body being provided with a spring housing and with webs integrally connecting said housing and said plate, a pintle mounted on said webs, a lever pivoted on the pintle and disposed between said webs, a spring in the housing having an end portion of said lever biased outwardly by said spring, and means connecting the lever with the slide for reciprocation of the slide and valve along the way.
 2. A slide valve according to claim 1 in which said plate has a slot through which said lever extends and the means connecting the lever with the slide comprises linkage pivoted to the lever and the slide.
 3. A slide valve according to claim 2 in which the slide has a spring housing, a spring in said housing, the valve having a spring seat boss in which the spring is engaged and which extends into the spring housing to provide a driving connection between the slide and the valve.
 4. A slide valve according to claim 3 in which the valves has a detachable facing element having a marginal flange embracing the valve and having studs extending into apertures with which the valve is provided, whereby to constrain the facing element to move with the valve. 